10 most influential Internet moments

2009-11-19T13:52:00.004+11:00

According to the Webby Awards, here is a list of the 10 most most influential internet moments of the decade. With Craigslist at number one, this is an entirely American skew, as few people beyond their borders will even know what Craigslist is.

The 14th annual Webby Awards are to be announced in April 2010. They reward excellence on the internet in a number of categories including news, interactive advertising and online film and video.

10 most influential moments of the decade

Craigslist online classified site expands outside San Francisco (2000)
The launch of Google AdWords (2000)
The launch of online encyclopedia Wikipedia (2001)
The shutdown of file-sharing site Napster (2001)
Google's initial public offering (2004)
The online video revolution led by YouTube (2006)
Facebook opens to non-college students and Twitter launches (2006)
Apple's iPhone debuts (2007)
The use of the internet in the US presidential campaign (2008)
The use of Twitter during the Iranian election protests (2009)

Do you agree?

Timing is everything...

2009-11-04T12:02:00.001+11:00

10 years ago it would have been easy to dupe the consumer with a marketing curve ball or a well timed media release. But as consumers woke up to the fact, it soon became the wrong move for a company to try and make key announcements under the radar.

Thanks in part to the Internet we are now better informed and not as easily duped. Because of this, marketing has adapted and campaigns have become far more transparent. And then the Reserve Bank decide to announce an interest rate rise on the same day as the Melbourne Cup (the race that stops the nation)?

What flummoxed me was that the media saw the tactic as a 'smart move', as if it was acceptable practice... they even had a field day on clever headlines about the rort! (on a complete side note, I have just noticed that the word 'rort' is in the Oxford Dictionary as an 'Australian Informal' reference... fancy that!).

My concern here is that marketers have been noting a significant change in consumer awareness and, in turn , behaviour over the past decade. And yet here we are, in this apparently evolved-for-the-better world, and the same tricks are not only being played, but being completely accepted by media and consumers alike... as if it's fair play. My only observation is that we continue to be heavily influenced and guided by media coverage and media publishers continue to look for the headline that will sell. So are we in a holding pattern?

Future-Proof Fundraising

2009-11-02T11:51:00.000+11:00

Community Fundraising is becoming an increasingly important part of the fundraising mix, and technology is allowing not-for-profit organisations to reinvent the way they engage and empower their supporters. Kristofer Rogers from GoFundraise.com.au explores the future of fundraising and how organisations of any size can embrace the power of the Internet.

When was the last time you called Kevin Bacon? He is, after all, your friend... According to the ‘small world phenomenon’, there are only six degrees of separation between you and the Hollywood star. In fact, the theory proved so popular that the actor recently founded a charitable initiative called Six Degrees that encourages individuals to support their favourite charity online.

Beyond the viral hype, there are some important points to consider. The first is that the fundraisers of the future are young people who have a significant online presence. The second is that there is a unique opportunity to reach beyond the limited ‘footprint’ of traditional community fundraising and reach a far larger audience of potential supporters.

Meet the fundraiser of the future…

Much has changed over the past few generations. Thanks in part to the Internet, young Australian’s are now better informed, more socially aware and, perhaps most importantly, able to easily communicate their ideas and beliefs. Generation Y now have an entirely new set of personal standards. It’s less to do with socioeconomics and more about what music you listen to, what brands you wear and what cause you support. The challenge for nonprofits, therefore, is to find a way to engage with and empower a younger audience.

Where advocates of the past would write a letter to their local politician or newspaper, today’s campaigners are reaching a wider audience through a status update on Facebook! So is the way forward to have a presence on popular social networks such as Facebook, Twitter and MySpace? Though it may be free to create a charity profile, one problem with this strategy has been the resource requirement for organisations to continually monitor and populate these communities. With so many not-for-profit organisations having resource issues at the best of times, this has created a barrier of entry to the online space.

The Internet isn’t so new that we haven’t already formed a few opinions as to its suitability as a fundraising solution. Many organisations view the Internet to be high risk, and resource-intensive. The assumption being that with technology comes the need to train staff and maintain systems. Thankfully, technology has evolved into an ‘open source’ environment where applications and ‘widgets’ are readily available to perform any manner of function. In English, this means anybody can now develop a web presence without the associated cost or resource requirement.

Come to the (third) party

The most exciting advancement in recent years has been the emergence of online fundraising solutions. Suddenly, the technology is available for organisations of all sizes to introduce online fundraising into the mix. And with the demographic swing in full motion, it’s never been more important. Gone are the ‘traditional’ barriers - the solution providers have taken care of the start up costs by making significant investments in their own technology. By opting to work with third parties, organisations are able to take the leap without the risk. What’s more, the Internet brings with it some great benefits that significantly reduce the burden often associated with community fundraising. DGR Receipts can be issued automatically by email once a donation is made. ‘Authorities to Fundraise’ are now also issued electronically to ensure online campaigns are fully compliant.

Yet still, there are those who resist the shift. ‘We don’t have any suitable events’. ‘We don’t have a big enough database to benefit from an online campaign’. But when it comes to online fundraising, size doesn’t mater. The Spinal Muscular Atrophy Association of Australia (SMAAA) recently held an event called ‘Bike for Life’, which involved 18 participants cycling from Sydney to Brisbane. In little over a month, the event had raised more then $55,000 with just 8 active fundraisers. The lesson Julie Cini, CEO of SMAAA, learnt was that she simply needed to identify her most ardent supporters and set them up online. “The click of a button is fast becoming the new way to fundraise. It has expanded our reach and awareness about our cause. For such a small charity, this is a fantastic leg up in the competition for that fundraising dollar. In a few short weeks, we raised online what would have taken a few months by pounding the pavement and asking for donations. We can spend more time supporting our families where they need it” she says.

Stop. Revive. Survive.

It’s impossible to discuss fundraising and ignore the recent past. The global economic crisis, combined with the terrible natural disasters closer to home, have created a seismic shift in the fundraising landscape. Whilst the doomsayers amongst us are ringing the bells, many organisations are seeing the slow down and apparent ‘fundraiser fatigue’ as an opportunity. In fact, in a UK research paper – ‘Managing in a Downturn – released in November 2008 by the Institute of Fundraising, 62% of charities anticipated some positive impacts from the downturn. A similar paper released this month by the Fundraising Institute Australia claims three-quarters of respondents indicated they were taking action during the downturn and focusing largely on fundraising activities.

So perhaps now is the time to take stock and consider new opportunities in fundraising? Opportunities that can be easily adopted. Without risk but with a large potential bounty. The most important thing to remember is that tomorrow’s fundraiser is already leading the way by being online. It is not up to the organisation to create the online space, it is simply a question of occupying the same space as your future fundraisers.

Some tips to successfully adopt online fundraising

Make your most active supporters your online fundraising champions (it only takes one champion to lead the way).
Identify which of your supporters have large social networks and engage them.
Move existing fundraising events online.
If you have a website, embed links to your online fundraising pages to drive traffic.
Provide the option for supporters to conduct ‘Personal Challenges’ or ‘In Memory Of’ events online in support of your cause.

Creative Partners Blog

10 most influential Internet moments

Timing is everything...

Future-Proof Fundraising